50-Year-Old Fined for Shooting BB Gun at Children in Playground, Saying "It's Noisy"

A man in his 50s fired a BB gun at children playing
in an apartment playground, saying "You're noisy"

A man in his 50s who fired a BB gun at children playing in an apartment playground, saying they were "noisy," was sentenced to a fine.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

On the 2nd, Yonhap News reported that Hwang Un-seo, chief judge of Criminal Division 15 at Suwon District Court, sentenced A (55 years old), who was indicted on charges of special assault, to a fine of 5 million won.

Earlier, on October 3rd last year, around 6:30 p.m., A fired a BB pistol several times at victims B (11 years old) and C (9 years old) in an apartment playground in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, because the children were making noise while playing. Due to A’s actions, C was hit on the temple area and suffered injuries, and A was indicted on charges of assaulting the victims with a dangerous object.

The court stated, "The defendant committed this crime only six months after completing a prison sentence for charges including intimidation," and added, "Considering the mental distress and anxiety caused to the victim children and their parents, the nature of the crime is by no means light." However, the court explained the sentencing by saying, "The defendant is suffering from a serious mental illness and is in urgent need of treatment, and since the defendant has pledged to receive treatment, it is necessary to give an opportunity for reform," taking these factors into comprehensive consideration.

Photos and comments posted on some apartment residents' online cafes.
[Photo by Online Community]

Meanwhile, controversies related to noise in apartment playgrounds are not new. In 2019, a story about an apartment that restricted playground use because the noise of children playing was too loud became a hot topic. It is known that several other apartments have already been voluntarily enforcing time restrictions for playground use. On the other hand, some residents argued that spaces prepared solely for children should not be infringed upon.

As disputes among adults over the noise of children playing continue, voices calling for the guarantee of children’s "right to play" are growing louder. The UN has established that children have the right to play. According to Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have the right to rest and play sufficiently, and South Korea ratified this convention in 1991.